India, April 24 -- New Delhi

The Delhi government will soon roll out the distribution of chip-enabled smart cards for construction workers, with a process to appoint an agency to design, implement and operate the system underway, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday. The card will help registered workers to avail of government welfare schemes, they said.

The smart cards, embedded with encrypted data, will be issued to all registered construction workers and renewed annually, an official said. The cards will serve as a secure, single identity, linking workers' registration details with benefits received, thereby preventing duplication and misuse.

The initiative is expected to particularly benefit migrant labourers who frequent...